mount Atlas with an army, of which expedition he wrote an account.
He presided over Britain as governor for about 20 years, and was
afterwards made consul. He forsook the interest of Otho, and attached
himself to Vitellius.――――Caius Tranquillus, a Latin historian,
son of a Roman knight of the same name. He was favoured by Adrian,
and became his secretary, but he was afterwards banished from the
court for want of attention and respect to the empress Sabina. In
his retirement Suetonius enjoyed the friendship and correspondence
of Pliny the younger, and dedicated his time to study. He wrote a
history of the Roman kings, divided into three books; a catalogue of
all the illustrious men of Rome, a book on the games and spectacles
of the Greeks, &c., which are all now lost. The only one of his
compositions extant, is the lives of the 12 first Cæsars, and some
fragments of his catalogue of celebrated grammarians. Suetonius,
in his Lives, is praised for his impartiality and correctness. His
expressions, however, are often too indelicate, and it has been
justly observed, that while he exposed the deformities of the Cæsars,
he wrote with all the licentiousness and extravagance with which
they lived. The best editions of Suetonius are that of Pitiscus, 4to,
2 vols., Leiden, 1714; that of Oudendorp, 2 vols., 8vo, Leiden, 1751;
and that of Ernesti, 8vo, Lipscomb, 1775. _Pliny_, bk. 1, ltr. 11;
bk. 5, ltr. 11, &c.
♦ ‘Setonius’ replaced with ‘Suetonius’
=Suetri=, a people of Gaul near the Alps.
♦=Suevi=, a people of Germany, between the Elbe and the Vistula, who
made frequent incursions upon the territories of Rome under the
emperors. _Lucan_, bk. 2, li. 51.
♦ ‘Suovi’ replaced with ‘Suevi’
=Suevius=, a Latin poet in the age of Ennius.
=Suffetala=, an inland town of Mauritania.
=Suffēnus=, a Latin poet in the age of Catullus. He was but of moderate
abilities, but puffed up with a high idea of his own excellence, and
therefore deservedly exposed to the ridicule of his contemporaries.
_Catullus_, poem 22.
=Suffetius=, or =Suftius=. _See:_ Metius.
=Suidas=, a Greek writer who flourished A.D. 1100. The best edition of
his excellent Lexicon is that of Kuster, 3 vols., folio, Cambridge.
1705.
=Publius Suilius=, an informer in the court of Claudius, banished
under Nero, by means of Seneca, and sent to the Baleares. _Tacitus_,
_Annals_, bk. 14, ch. 42, &c.――――Cæsorinus, a guilty favourite of
Messalina. _Tacitus_, _Annals_, bk. 11, ch. 36.
=Suiones=, a nation of Germany, supposed the modern _Swedes_. _Tacitus_,
_Germania_, ch. 44.
=Sulchi=, a town at the south of Sardinia. _Mela_, bk. 2, ch. 7.
――_Claudian_, _Gildonic War_, li. 518.――_Strabo_, bk. 5.
=Sulcius=, an informer whom Horace describes as hoarse with the
number of defamations which he daily gave. _Horace_, bk. 1, satire 4,
li. 65.
=Sulga=, now _Sorgue_, a small river of Gaul, falling into the Rhone.
_Strabo_, bk. 4.
=Sulla.= _See:_ Sylla.
=Sulmo=, now _Sulmona_, an ancient town of the Peligni, at the distance
of about 90 miles from Rome, founded by Solymus, one of the followers
of Æneas. Ovid was born there. _Ovid_, _passim_.――_Silius Italicus_,
bk. 8, li. 511.――_Strabo_, bk. 5.――――A Latin chief killed in the
night by Nisus, as he was going with his companions to destroy
Euryalus. _Virgil_, _Æneid_, bk. 9, li. 412.
=Sulpitia=, a daughter of Paterculus, who married Fulvius Flaccus.
She was so famous for her chastity, that she consecrated a temple
to ♦Venus Verticordia, a goddess who was implored to turn the hearts
of the Roman women to virtue. _Pliny_, bk. 7, ch. 35.――――A poetess
in the age of Domitian, against whom she wrote a poem, because he
had banished the philosophers from Rome. This composition is still
extant. She had also written a poem on conjugal affection, commended
by Martial, ltr. 35, now lost.――――A daughter of Servius Sulpitius,
mentioned in the fourth book of elegies, falsely attributed to
Tibullus.
♦ ‘Venis’ replaced with ‘Venus’
=Sulpitia lex=, _militaris_, by Caius Sulpicius the tribune, A.U.C. 665,
invested Marius with the full power of the war against Mithridates,
of which Sylla was to be deprived.――――Another, _de senatu_, by
Servius Sulpicius the tribune, A.U.C. 665. It required that no
senator should owe more than 2000 drachmæ.――――Another, _de civitate_,
by Publius Sulpitius the tribune, A.U.C. 665. It ordered that the
new citizens who composed the eight tribes lately created, should
be divided among the 35 old tribes, as a greater honour.――――Another,
called also Sempronia, _de religione_, by Publius Sulpicius Saverrio
and Publius Sempronius Sophus, consuls, A.U.C. 449. It forbade any
person to consecrate a temple or altar without the permission of the
senate and the majority of the tribunes.――――Another, to empower the
Romans to make war against Philip of Macedonia.
=Sulpitius=, or =Sulpicius=, an illustrious family at Rome, of whom
the most celebrated are:――Peticus, a man chosen dictator against the
Gauls. His troops mutinied when he first took the field, but soon
after he engaged the enemy and totally defeated them. _Livy_, bk. 7.
――――Saverrio, a consul who gained a victory over the Æqui. _Livy_,
bk. 9, ch. 45.――――Caius Paterculus, a consul sent against the
Carthaginians. He conquered Sardinia and Corsica, and obtained a
complete victory over the enemy’s fleet. He was honoured with a
triumph at his return to Rome. _Livy_, bk. 17.――――Spurius, one of
the three commissioners whom the Romans sent to collect the best laws
which could be found in the different cities and republics of Greece.
_Livy_, bk. 3, ch. 10.――――One of the first consuls who received
intelligence that a conspiracy was formed in Rome to restore the
Tarquins to power, &c.――――A priest who died of the plague in the
first ages of the republic at Rome.――――Publius Galba, a Roman consul
who signalized himself greatly during the war which his countrymen
waged against the Achæans and the Macedonians.――――Severus, a writer.
_See:_ Severus.――――Publius, one of the associates of Marius, well
known for his intrigues and cruelty. He made some laws in favour of
the allies of Rome, and he kept about 3000 young men in continual
pay, whom he called his anti-senatorial band, and with these he had
often the impertinence to attack the consul in the popular assemblies.
He became at last so seditious, that he was proscribed by Sylla’s
adherents, and immediately murdered. His head was fixed on a pole
in the rostrum, where he had often made many seditious speeches
in the capacity of tribune. _Livy_, bk. 77.――――A Roman consul who
fought against Pyrrhus and defeated him.――――Caius Longus, a Roman
consul, who defeated the Samnites and killed 30,000 of their men.
He obtained a triumph for this celebrated victory. He was afterwards
made dictator to conduct a war against the Etrurians.――――Rufus, a
lieutenant of Cæsar in Gaul.――――One of Messalina’s favourites, put
to death by Claudius.――――Publius Quirinus, a consul in the age of
Augustus.――――Camerinus, a proconsul of Africa, under Nero, accused
of cruelty, &c. _Tacitus_, bk. 13, _Annals_, ch. 52.――――Gallus, a
celebrated astrologer in the age of Paulus. He accompanied the consul
in his expedition against Perseus, and told the Roman army that the
night before the day on which they were to give the enemy battle
there would be an eclipse of the moon. This explanation encouraged
the soldiers, which, on the contrary, would have intimidated them,
if not previously acquainted with the causes of it. Sulpitius was
universally respected, and he was honoured a few years after with
the consulship. _Livy_, bk. 44, ch. 37.――_Pliny_, bk. 2, ch. 12.
――――Apollinaris, a grammarian in the age of the emperor Marcus
Aurelius. He left some letters and a few grammatical observations
now lost. _Cicero._――_Livy._――_Plutarch._――_Polybius._――_Florus._
――_Eutropius._
=Summānus=, a surname of Pluto, as prince of the dead, _summus manium_.
He had a temple at Rome, erected during the wars with Pyrrhus, and
the Romans believed that the thunderbolts of Jupiter were in his
power during the night. _Cicero_, _De Divinatione_.――_Ovid_, _Fasti_,
bk. 6, li. 731.
=Sunici=, a people of Germany on the shores of the Rhine. _Tacitus_,
_Histories_, bk. 4, ch. 66.
=Sunides=, a soothsayer in the army of Eumenes. _Polyænus_, bk. 4.
=Sunium=, a promontory of Attica, about 45 miles distant from the
Piræus. There was there a small harbour, as also a town. Minerva
had there a beautiful temple, whence she was called _Sunias_. There
are still extant some ruins of this temple. _Pliny_, bk. 4, ch. 7.
――_Strabo_, bk. 9.――_Pausanias_, bk. 1, ch. 1.――_Cicero_, _Letters to
Atticus_, bk. 7, ltr. 3; bk. 13, ltr. 10.
=Suovetaurilia=, a sacrifice among the Romans, which consisted of the
immolation of a sow (_sus_), a sheep (_ovis_), and a bull (_taurus_),
whence the name. It was generally observed every fifth year.
=Supĕrum mare=, a name of the Adriatic sea, because it was situate
above Italy. The name of _Mare Inferum_ was applied for the opposite
reasons to the sea below Italy. _Cicero_, _For Aulus Cluentius_, &c.
=Sura Æmylius=, a Latin writer, &c. _Velleius Paterculus_, bk. 1,
ch. 6.――――Lucius Licinius, a favourite of Trajan, honoured with the
consulship.――――A writer in the age of the emperor Gallienus. He wrote
a history of the reign of the emperor.――――A city on the Euphrates.
――――Another in Iberia.――――A river of Germany, whose waters fall into
the Moselle. _Ausonius_, _Mosella_.
=Surēna=, a powerful officer in the armies of Orodes king of Parthia.
His family had the privilege of crowning the kings of Parthia. He
was appointed to conduct the war against the Romans, and to protect
the kingdom of Parthia against Crassus, who wished to conquer it. He
defeated the Roman triumvir, and after he had drawn him perfidiously
to a conference, he ordered his head to be cut off. He afterwards
returned to Parthia, mimicking the triumphs of the Romans. Orodes
ordered him to be put to death, B.C. 52. Surena has been admired for
his valour, his sagacity as a general, and his prudence and firmness
in the execution of his plans; but his perfidy, his effeminate
manners, and his lasciviousness have been deservedly censured.
_Polyænus_, bk. 7.――_Plutarch_, _Crassus_.
=Surium=, a town at the south of Colchis.
=Surrentum=, a town of Campania, on the bay of Naples, famous for
the wine which was made in the neighbourhood. _Mela_, bk. 2, ch. 4.
――_Strabo_, bk. 5.――_Horace_, bk. 1, ltr. 17, li. 52.――_Ovid_,
_Metamorphoses_, bk. 15, li. 710.――_Martial_, bk. 13, ltr. 110.
=Surus=, one of the Ædui, who made war against Cæsar. _Cæsar_, _Gallic
War_, bk. 8, ch. 45.
=Susa= (orum), now _Suster_, a celebrated city of Asia, the chief town
of Susiana, and the capital of the Persian empire, built by Tithonus
the father of Memnon. Cyrus took it. The walls of Susa were above
120 stadia in circumference. The treasures of the kings of Persia
were generally kept there, and the royal palace was built with white
marble, and its pillars were covered with gold and precious stones.
It was usual with the kings of Persia to spend the summer at Ecbatana,
and the winter at Susa, because the climate was more warm than at
any other royal residence. It has been called _Memnonia_, or the
palace of Memnon, because that prince reigned there. _Pliny_, bk. 6,
ch. 26, &c.――_Lucan_, bk. 2, li. 49.――_Strabo_, bk. 15.――_Xenophon_,
_Cyropædia_.――_Propertius_, bk. 2, poem 13.――_Claudian._
=Susăna=, a town of Hispania Tarraconensis. _Silius Italicus_, bk. 3,
li. 384.
=Susarion=, a Greek poet of Megara, who is supposed, with Dolon, to be
the inventor of comedy, and to have first introduced it at Athens on
a movable stage, B.C. 562.
=Susiāna=, or =Susis=, a country of Asia, of which the capital was
called Susa, situate at the east of Assyria. Lilies grow in great
abundance in Susiana, and it is from that plant that the province
received its name, according to some, as _Susan_ is the name of a
_lily_ in Hebrew.
=Susidæ pylæ=, narrow passes over mountains, from Susiana into Persia.
_Curtius_, bk. 5, ch. 3.
=Suthul=, a town of Numidia, where the king’s treasures were kept.
_Sallust_, _Jugurthine War_, ch. 37.
=Sutrium=, a town of Etruria, about 24 miles north-west of Rome. Some
suppose that the phrase _Ire Sutrium_, to act with despatch, arises
from the celerity with which Camillus recovered the place, but Festus
explains it differently. _Plautus_, _Casina_, act 3, scen 1, li. 10.
――_Livy_, bk. 26, ch. 34.――_Paterculus_, bk. 1, ch. 14.――_Livy_,
bk. 9, ch. 32.
=Syagrus=, an ancient poet, the first who wrote on the Trojan war. He
is called _Segaris_, by Diogenes Laërtius, who adds that he lived
in Homer’s age, of whom he was the rival. _Ælian_, _Varia Historia_,
bk. 14, ch. 21.
=Sybăris=, a river of Lucania in Italy, whose waters were said to
render men more strong and robust. _Strabo_, bk. 6.――_Pliny_, bk. 3,
ch. 11; bk. 31, ch. 2.――――There was a town of the same name on its
banks on the bay of Tarentum, which had been founded by a colony of
Achæans. Sybaris became very powerful, and in its most flourishing
situation it had the command of four neighbouring nations, of
25 towns, and could send an army of 300,000 men into the field.
The walls of the city were said to extend six miles and a half in
circumference, and the suburbs covered the banks of the Crathis for
the space of seven miles. It made a long and vigorous resistance
against the neighbouring town of Crotona, till it was at last
totally reduced by the disciples of Pythagoras, B.C. 501. Sybaris
was destroyed no less than five times, and always repaired. In a
more recent age the inhabitants became so effeminate, that the word
_Sybarise_ became proverbial to intimate a man devoted to pleasure.
There was a small town built in the neighbourhood about 444 years
before the christian era, and called Thurium, from a small fountain
called Thuria, where it was built. _Diodorus_, bk. 12.――_Strabo_,
bk. 6.――_Ælian_, _Varia Historia_, bk. 9, ch. 24.――_Martial_, bk. 12,
ltr. 96.――_Plutarch_, _Pelopidas_, &c.――_Pliny_, bk. 3, ch. 10, &c.
――――A friend of Æneas, killed by Turnus. _Virgil_, _Æneid_, bk. 12,
li. 363.――――A youth enamoured of Lydia, &c. _Horace_, bk. 1, ode 8,
li. 2.
=Sybarīta=, an inhabitant of Sybaris. _See:_ Sybaris.
=Sybota=, a harbour of Epirus. _Cicero_, bk. 5, _Letters to Atticus_,
ltr. 9.――_Strabo_, bk. 7.
=Sybŏtas=, a king of the Messenians in the age of Lycurgus the Spartan
legislator. _Pausanias_, bk. 4, ch. 4.
=Sycinnus=, a slave of Themistocles, sent by his master to engage
Xerxes to fight against the fleet of the Peloponnesians.
=Sycurium=, a town of Thessaly at the foot of Ossa. _Livy_, bk. 42,
ch. 54.
=Syedra=, a town of Cilicia.
=Syēne=, now _Assuan_, a town of Thebais, on the extremities of Egypt.
Juvenal the poet was banished there on pretence of commanding a
pretorian cohort stationed in the neighbourhood. It was famous for
its quarries of marble. _Strabo_, bks. 1 & 2.――_Mela_, bk. 1, ch. 9.
――_Pliny_, bk. 36, ch. 8.――_Ovid_, _ex Ponto_, bk. 1, poem 5, li. 79;
_Metamorphoses_, bk. 5, li. 74.――_Lucan_, bk. 2, li. 587; bk. 8,
li. 851; bk. 10, li. 234.
=Syenesius=, a Cilician who, with Labinetus of Babylon, concluded a
peace between Alyattes king of Lydia, and Cyaxares king of Media,
while both armies were terrified by a sudden eclipse of the sun, B.C.
585. _Herodotus_, bk. 1, ch. 74.
=Syennesis=, a satrap of Cilicia, when Cyrus made war against his
brother Artaxerxes. He wished to favour both the brothers by sending
one of his sons into the army of Cyrus and another to Artaxerxes.
=Sylēa=, a daughter of Corinthus.
=Syleum=, a town of Pamphylia.
=Syleus=, a king of Aulis.